Improvement in washing-machines



UNITED STATES PATENT QEEICE.

ALMON H. CALKINS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

i IMPROVEMENT IN WASHING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of-Letters Patent No. 157,579, dated December8, 1374; application filed March 16, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ALMON H. CALKINs, of Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin VVashing-Machines7 of which improvements the following is a full,clear, and exact description, which will enable others skilled in theart to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, andin'which- Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a machine providedwith my improvements, a part of the standards being broken away in orderthat the parts arranged therein maybe more clearly shown; Fig. 2, an endelevation of the same, one of the standards being removed; Fig. 3, aside elevation of one of the end plates of the jacket, showing amodification in the construction and arrangement of the yielding bar orbrace operating in connection therewith.

In the drawing, A represents the baseboard. B B are the standards or endpieces. C is a large corrugated roller, having bearings in the endpieces. D is a crank, by means of which the roller C may be rotated.

' E E are small rollers lying on the roller C.

F F are semicircular plates, each made in two parts, so jointed to eachother that each part is capable of an independent vertically-swing ingmovement on its hinge. The spindles of the rollers E E have bearings inthe plates F F. The standards B B are vertically slotted. G G are pinsor hooks xedin the vertical slots of the standards. H H are platesextending vertically and laterally across the outer faces `of the platesF F. The parts H I-I are vertically slotted to receive the spindles ofthe central roller of the rollers E E, as shown at a. a', c, and c areprojections extending from the plates H H, and lapping the upper edgesof the p'lates F F, the part a lapping the central part of the saidplates, and the other projections lying about midway between the part aand the lower ends ofthe said plates. I is a roller resting on the partsa. a. t' t' are spindles projecting from the roller I, and lying out ofthe longi` tudinal center of the said roller. The spindlesz' t passthrough slots c a, and enter the vertical slots inthe standards.anti-friction rollers or thimbles on the spindles z' i. K K are closespiral springs attached to the spindles and to the pins G G.

In the operation of washing, the clothes are fed between the roller Cand the rollers E E. By turning the crank D in opposite directions theclothes may be carried back and forth between the rollers, and are thuswashed. When the clothes are sufficiently washed they are delivered frombetween the rollers by turning the crank in the same direction until theclothes are no longer grasped by the rollers. The Whole jacket ofyielding rollers is vertically yielding, and the rollers of which it isconstituted, with the exception of the central roller, also have aspreading movement. In order to increase the action of the springs K K,the roller I is turned insuch a direction as to carry the spindles t' z'upward. The action of these springs is diminished by turning the rollerin the opposite direction. `Heretofore the springs in machines of thisclass have been arranged so low as to be submerged during the operationof washing, and their temper is likely to be: lost, owing to theirfrequent and long submersion in hot w ater. The means employed tograduate the force of the lsprings has also been arranged so low as tobe submerged.

The object of my present invention is to improve the construction andoperation of the machine by arranging the springs, and the means ofadjusting or regulating their force, sufficiently high to be above-thewater under ordinary circumstances.

In order to produce a greater pressure upon the yielding jacket, thefollowing means may be employed: K is a spring resting on the part I. Lis a cross-bar attached to the spring K', and entering the verticalslots in tlie standards. I is a roller resting on the bar L, andconstructed in` all respects like the part I. The spindles of the rollerI enter the vertical slots in the standards. M M are sliding blocksresting on the spindles of the roller I'. N N are set-screws, againstwhich the blocks M are forced by the spring K. The force of this springmay be increased, either by turning the roller I until its spindles moveupward or by screwing down the screws N N. In using thc V the extensionse and e', arranged to tap the spring K and the means employed toregulate its pressure, the springs K K may be omitted; and as the rollerI need not be -constructed to perform functions of a cam, the spring Kmay rest on the parts a a', instead of on the part G. The springs K Kand the means employed to regulate their force may also be usedindependently of the spring K and the means employed to regulate itsforce, and both forms of springs may be used in connection with eachother and with the means employed to regulate their force.

It Will be observed, from reference to Figs. 2 and 3, that it isimmaterial Whether the lateral arms of the parts H H are provided Withupper edge of the plates F F, as shown in Fig. 2, or the said arms reston projections F F, one or more vertically-yielding cam-rolll ers, thebar L, the spring K, the plates H H, and the roller G, all substantiallyas and for the purposes specified.

ALMON H. CALKINS. Witnesses:

F. F. WARNER, N. G. GRIDLEY.

